“TEMPTATION IS A BITCH”

Flea, bassist for the Red Hot Chili Peppers, wrote in Time Magazine: Temptation is a bitch. All my life, I’ve gone through periods of horrific anxiety…that squeezes my brain in an icy grip…a bottomless pit of fear. Ouch. Man, drugs fixed all that in a flash. Once you’ve opened the door to drug use, it’s always there, seducing you. Perfectly sane people become addicted and end up dead.

My reflection: Drug overdoses kill more than 64,000 people each year and are now the leading cause of death for Americans under 50. The latest research from the Center for Disease Control estimates that overdoses will increase by 30% in 2017. These dire statistics point to the high price of succumbing to temptation for addicts.

Today’s Promise to consider: Temptation is everywhere – whether it’s sweets, extra sleep, shopping, or narcotics. Recovering addicts have worked hard to distance themselves from the deadly seduction of drugs. Today, I’ll reach out my hand with compassion to all those who are fighting the ravaging temptation of drugs in order to survive another day.

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Everything in our lives improves once we, as parents, communicate our understanding of our child’s disease through acts of love and compassion while still maintaining appropriate boundaries. How do we do that? It’s not simple or is it easy but it is possible. In fact, it is really hard work. There is an incredible recovery community available to all parents of addicted children. Reach out and investigate ALL the opportunities!!

Pat, So true – it’s not easy to deal with addiction with love, compassion, and boundaries – but SO important. A recovery community is essential – for them and for us. Al-Anon and other parent support groups are bastions of safety and knowledge. My Al-Anon group saved my sanity and gave me hope. Thanks for staying close.

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8 months ago

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Sue

As you say Libby, temptation is all around us. it seems silly but most days after work I crave junk food in the worst way. Many days I succumb and eat some chips, usually swearing to myself “just one more” only to feel so annoyed with myself after. If that desire for a bag of chips is so tough for me I can’t even imagine how hard it is for an addict to resist the temptation of their drug of choice. Their “just one more” has such immediate and dire consequences. I just think its important to realize we all… Read more »

I agree, Sue, with everything you write. Addicts have to work hard every day of their life to resist drugs. There is a saying in AA that while the addict is in recovery, addiction is in the parking lot doing pushups. Jeff says that addiction is like a lion in a cage, just biding its time until it can pounce. Most people struggle with something, but for the addict the consequences are severe and often death. Your daughter is two and a half years clean – congrats to her. This is HUGE. It’s one day at a time, but today… Read more »